Management lessons from Justice League

From leading, handling power and establishing harmony to effective team building and garnering trust, Justice League has many hidden management lessons.

Pardon the spoilers, but the environment that DC’s superheroes create in the Zack Snyder-directed sci-fi adventure flick, Justice League, offers multiple thought-provoking lessons that apply equally well to the corporate scenario. From leadership, handling power and establishing harmony to effective team building and garnering trust, Justice League has hidden management lessons spread across the length of the film. Here are a few that one cannot just miss!

Identify and acknowledge leadership

Good leaders always have a strong vision, an eye for talent, a zeal for unveiling hidden potential and the ability to develop and encourage it. That is what Batman does in the movie when he realises that a bigger enemy is approaching, who could potentially destroy the whole planet. He finds a powerful ally in Wonder Woman and together they work towards getting a strong team in place to face the threat in sight. A leader should be able to identify and acknowledge the desired capabilities and utilise them for the larger benefit of the organisation or the community.

Right combination of talent is key to successBatman and Wonder Woman recognise three other talented men who can help them create a team that can potentially fight the enemy in sight. Once identified, they work towards getting Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg on board. Efficient teams are the building blocks for success in a business. Bringing together a strong team requires one to understand the skills and capabilities that would be required to achieve the desired outcome. A leader needs to understand that each member in the team brings a unique capability, and a target can be achieved only by making it work in unity.

Batman brings in a rich experience and expertise in planning, Wonder Woman is the binding force that invokes empathy, trust and an emotional connect amongst the team.

Identify the real value in talentAlways value talent when you still have it and not after you’ve lost it. Superman has always been the almighty, all powerful saviour of mankind, and yet, he has been seen as an outsider—an alien. He was always misunderstood and undervalued, until he died and the world feared doom in his absence. It is then that the equally powerful Batman realises the importance of Superman and why he needs to get back Superman as he says in the movie, “He’s more human than I am.” While in a business the situation may not get as worse as facing doom, organisations certainly need to value what each of their employees brings to the table.

Team trust is mustAquaman doubts that since Cyborg draws his powers from the same Mother Box that forms the threat, he could be allying with the enemy. Right after Superman awakens, Steppenwolf, the enemy, takes away the Mother Box which could cause the world to come to an end. The team entrusts Cyborg to find the location of the Mother Box and while he is doing so, Aquaman’s perception of Cyborg overpowers him in frustration and he blames Cyborg of not trying to really help out the team. The others calm him down. This is a classic example of how people in teams could behave in situations of stress. Fault-finding and doubting others come as natural tendencies, whereas, in such times, it is rather important that people trust each other. It is also the leader’s responsibility to establish mutual faith and harmony helping the team work together in tandem.

While Wonder Woman is capable of leading a team, she takes a back foot due to her own inhibitions. However, Batman encourages her to take charge. This is what good leaders always do.

Generation gap is importantAge is just a number and with different generations at work, there comes a lot of diversity of thoughts which helps bring in a balance. In the Justice League, while Batman brings in a rich experience and expertise in planning, Wonder Woman is the binding force that invokes empathy, trust and an emotional connect amongst the team. Superman is all powerful and the most critical foundational pillar for the team. The younger ones in the lot contribute too —Cyborg brings in a new and relevant tech talent, while Flash is the chirpy fresher who is a fast learner, exudes enthusiasm and brings in a fresh youthful feel.

A good leader allows his team to take lead

While Wonder Woman is capable of leading a team, she takes a back foot due to her own inhibitions. However, Batman encourages her to take charge. This is what good leaders always do. They create more leaders—they encourage people who have the potential and help them believe in themselves.

The movie has an important message about working towards a common goal. Each of the superheroes in the league has his own powers and priorities, for instance, Superman saves people, Batman is a vigilante who fights crime, and so on. But they all join in to fight a common enemy to ensure the safety of their world. Similarly, leaders and managers in an organisation need to see and believe in the vision and work towards it, irrespective of their own egos and interests.